Gordon Ryan is considered the greatest Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner of all time by many. But the seven-time ADCC winner isn’t really as popular and as respected among fight fans as his numerous achievements warrant. Why? Well, the main reason seems to be his openness about using performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). The GOAT practitioner has pointed out that PED usage is endemic in the sport of BJJ, and not taking them would put him at a competitive disadvantage.

Of course, this has invited harsh criticism from many, while others, such as Joe Rogan have supported Ryan’s steroid usage. And verbose UFC analyst Chael Sonnen has also weighed into the controversy. “Gordon Ryan did not deny steroid use. In fact, he admitted to PED. I’ve heard him talk about PED use and the fact that anabolics are not prohibited in jiu-jitsu. And his evidence that it’s allowed is not a bylaw or a subsection, it is the fact that everybody uses it,” Sonnen said on his YouTube channel.

‘Uncle Chael’ himself is no stranger to PEDs, or openly talking about using it. The former UFC superstar, of course, has admitted that he had “a higher juice concentrate than Tropicana” going into his UFC 159 title fight against Jon Jones. This is perhaps why Sonnen feels that Ryan’s PED usage is justified.

“He is very much right in that using PEDs does not give him an advantage, it levels the playing field. That mentality has never worked anywhere but it doesn’t make him wrong. I appreciated it. Joe Rogan appreciated it. He’s on to the right concept. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with him admitting that strength matters,” he added. However, there is an increase in the number of voices within the grappling fraternity who are calling for a change in how PEDs are dealt with in the BJJ world.

Mike Musumeci blasts Gordon Ryan and the BJJ world for holding back the sport

IBJJF world champion and UFC Fight Pass BJJ maestro Mikey Musumeci recently took shots at the BJJ world. And this included Gordon Ryan for the rampant steroid usage in MMA. In an explosive appearance on Demetrious Johnson‘s podcast, the baby-faced assassin claimed that “99% of Jiu-Jitsu is on steroids.”

Musumeci pointed out that all of this PED usage was hurting the sport. And blamed it owing to which BJJ is stuck in its “barbaric amateur phase”. This has prevented the discipline from becoming a respectable professional sport. The former ONE Championship fighter also raked Ryan over the coals for his open PED usage. He pointed out that Ryan looked like an old man already, despite being only 29 years old.

Ryan, for his part, responded by essentially saying that Musumeci was just jealous of him and his achievements, and dismissed ‘Darth Rigatoni’s criticism as mere moral grandstanding. “Mikey cries because he can’t do what I do, and that’s his only way to make himself feel better,” Ryan said.

But the fact remains that the reputation of the entire sport of BJJ has been hurt because of these PED allegations. And when the sport’s biggest, most well-known star has such a cavalier attitude towards steroids, which, lest we forget, is equivalent to cheating for most sports fans, there is little hope for change. What do you think about Chael Sonnen’s take on Gordon Ryan’s PED usage?